Monthly Archives: September 2010

It’s been about a month since I found out I have aortic stenosis. I’ve spent that time doing many things, including an Alaska cruise, from which I’ve posted a few photos on Facebook — the rest will get edited and posted RealSoonNow.

Despite the cardiologist’s clearance, I haven’t tried yoga yet. But golf class continues apace at West Valley (and I’ve even played nine holes with a friend and not lost by too much). However, I have had to make some modifications to what I do; for example, I can’t be one of the Stunt Doubles when we play that game at ComedySportz San Jose Rec League. And I’ve had to consider what this means to my job search; it’s clear that it’s not the time to look for an immediate full-time gig, though I am continuing to meet with people (I hate using “network” as a verb) and go to classes.

On the medical front itself, nothing much has happened. I don’t feel any different than I did before; I’ve had one consultation with the cardiologist, and am planning to meet with another one for a second opinion. Yesterday,I had my first call with my nurse from Empire Blue Cross (the insurance company), which was very helpful; I haven’t made it through all the material she sent! I’ve also been researching thoractic surgeons and hospitals — the best hospitals in the area are at least 30 minutes from home, so it would be nice to be able to use Good Sam (5 minutes from home), but having a successful outcome is far more important than anything else. More research looms.

The next active step is an angiogram, sometime in October; that’ll let us know whether the surgeons have to do anything else for sure while they’ve got the hood open, and I guess that will also let us know if we can wait until early next year, which would be my preference at this point.

I’ve had a lot of support from friends and family, which I greatly appreciate; having knowledgable friends is a real boon!

We just got back from a wonderful Alaska cruise on Silversea’s Silver Shadow. I wasn’t sure that my 16GB memory card would hold the photos and video I’d be taking during the cruise, so one of the last things I did before leaving was visit Fry’s to pick up a spare.

As it turns out, 16GB was plenty (especially since I took my computer along and unloaded the camera nightly), and so I never even opened the package for the new memory card. Fry’s has a 15-day return policy for memory, and I decided I’d exercise it while running post-cruise errands today. Diane came with me, armed with a book to keep her busy while waiting, and a smile to make me feel better.

But Fry’s surprised us. We were in and out of the store in well under 5 minutes; I’m not sure she even opened her book!

Oh, and the pictures? I’ve posted some on a public album on Facebook, with more to come. Most of the ones that I’ve posted so far were posted live from my iPhone during the trip (AT&T’s 3G service in Juneau was nothing short of amazing — I wish it were half as fast here), but I’ll be adding more soon.